Drop cabinet



'Apu-il 14, 1936. P c. MossNEi-z DROP CABINET Original Filed Deo. 5,1931 3 -Shee'ts--Sheec 1 VENTOR. gf/V.: .inea

, #isf/Oer@ ATTORNEY.

Apri1'14, 193e. P ,C MOSSNER 290315479 DROP CABINET original Filednec.y5, 1951 5, sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR. Peff @Waas/7621;

i VM-mm ATTORNEY.

Apri@ '114, 119%. P. c. MOSSNER: www@ DROP CABINET Original Filed Deo.5, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheei 3 Patented Apr. 14, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE Mich., by Saginaw, Mich.

Bertha Messner,

administratrix,

Reled for abandoned application Serial No.

579,161, December 5,

1931. This application October 31, 1934, Serial No. 750,892

11 Claims.

This invention relates to cabinets, and more specifically to a cabinetfor mounting a mangle or similar device, and in such manner that it can*be lowered into the cabinet and concealed from View when not in use.

' Another object is to design a cabinet provided with means forautomatically and smoothly raising the handle or other device,andfurther provide means for locking the mechanism in its ,n raised andin its lowered position.

vA further object is to design a cabinet having a hinged side wall, andprovide means whereby said wall can be held in raised position only Whenthe device islocked in its raised position.

A further object still is to provi-de means for regulating the speed oftravel as the device is raised, and also to provide a hinged cover whichacts as a table and closure means for top of the cabinet when the manglevor other device is not in use.

With the above and other objects in view, the present vinventionconsists in the combination and arrangement of parts, hereinaftermorefully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, andparticularly .pointed out in the appended claims, it being understoodthat changes may be made in the size, shape, proportion, and minordetails of construction, without departing from the spirit, orsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings- Fig. l isa side view of his improv-ed cabinet, thedotted lines illustrating a mangle mounted thereon and in position foroperation, the dotted lines at the bottom illustrating the position ofthe lifting mechanism when the device is in lowered position.

Fig. 2 is a top plan View with the mangle removed and the cover in openposition, the springs which are connected to the side wall beingindicated.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional View taken on the line 3--3of Fig. 2, and looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, thesolid lines illustrating the position of the lever mechanism when thedevice is in lowered position, the dotted lines illustrating theposition when the device is locked in its raised-position.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4--4 of Fig. 3, looking in thedirection of the arrows.

Fig. 5 is a similar view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3, the solidlines showing the position of the braking bar and levers when themechanism is in lowered position, the broken lines showing (Cl. S12- 21)the ,position of the mechanism when in raised position.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary isometric View of the releasing means.

Fig. '7 is a similar view of the brake bar.

Fig. 8 is an isometric view of the actuating links and the jaw whichholds the side wall in raised position.

Fig. V9 is a longitudinal part sectional View showing ythe manner ofhinging the side wall.

Fig. 10 is a view of the pivot member.

Fig. 1l is an end View thereof.

Fig. l2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the side wall and pivotbearing, the solid lines showing the pivot member locked againstrotation, the dotted lines showing it in unlocked position.

Fig. 13 is a similar View illustrating the pivot pin disengaged from thebearing.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 5.indicates a cabinet, .preferably formed of sheet metal; angles 6 and 'Irespectively form the upper and lower edges of the frame, whichissupported on legs 8 .as usual, each leg being provided with a caster9, so that the cabinet can be readily rolled from one position toanother.

Suitable Yraising means is provided within the cabinet for .raising thedevice housed therein into operating position, and comprises oppositelydisposed foldable lifting bars I0 and II respectively, which arepivotally connected to the frame I atthe points I2 and I3, these barsbeing secured together-.intermediate their length by means of a sleeveI4, which is slidably mounted on the bar I0, a bolt I5 being formedintegral with said 9 sleeve, and is anchored in the bar II, so that asthe bars are folded, this sleeve freely slides to compensate for thisfolding action.

Transversely disposed bars I6 and I1 respectively are secured to or canbe formed integral with the free ends of the lifting bars IIJ and II,and spaced apart rollers I8 are journaled thereon, and on which themangle base I9 is mounted, a mangle 2l] being secured on said base asusual, the base being of a size to snugly fit the opening in the top ofthe cabinet.

Clips 2I are secured to the lifting bars I0 and I I at a point directlyadjacent the bars I6 and I'I, and springs 22 are anchored to said clipsand tend to draw these bars Iand I'I toward each other, links 23 beingprovided on the ends of the bars I6 and Il, and one end of aspring 24 isanchored to each link, the opposite ends being anchored to a pin 25Yprovided on the side wall of the cabinet and adjacent the upper edgethereof, and it will be lll obvious that when the lifting bars I8 and II are in position as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings,that these springs 24 will be under tension, tending to pull the freeends of the lifting bars Iii and II toward each other.

T-shaped brake bars 25 are provided on opposite ends of the cabinet, andare formed as clearly shown in Fig. l of the drawings, the upper end ofthe inner leg of each brake bar 25 is rounded as shown at 2'I, theintermediate section being angled, the lower end being rounded as shownat 23, and a shoulder 23 is provided on the face directly adjacent theupper end and for a purpose to be presently described.

A resilient latch bar 33 is mounted on the end of the cabinet directlyadjacent the brake bar, the lower end extending inwardly from the sidewall, and is formed as clearly shown in Fig. 6, a block 3I being securedto lower end of said latch bar 3D, the upper end of said block beingbeveled as shown at 32. The latch 33 is slidably mounted on the bar 35,the upper end being offset as shown at 34 to accommodate a link 35 whichis pivotally secured thereto by means of the pin 35, said latch 33 beingslotted as shown at 31, and a T-shaped pin 38 is mounted in said slotwith the head engaging the face of the latch, so that the latch mayfreely slide thereon. The lower section of the latch 33 is shaped asshown at 39 (see Fig. 6), with the lower end turned inwardly andslidably engaging the block 3l, and it will be obvious that as the latchis forced downwardly, that the end will engage the beveled face 32 ofthe block 3| and force the lower end of `the bar 38 inwardly towards thewall of the cabinet and release the lug 5I which then moves upwardly inthe cabinet.

A flat bar member 48 is secured to the end wall on the opposite side ofthe guide bar 25, and a jaw member 4I is mounted thereon, said bar beingformed with a raised portion 42 intermediate its length. A pin member 43is journaled in the raised section 42 and projects through the side wallof the cabinet, an offset link 44 being mounted on said pin, and avertically disposed bar 45 is pivotally connected to the outer endthereof, said bar being also formed with a raised section 45intermediate its length, the upper end of said bar 45 being pivotallysecured to the free end of the link 35, the opposite end of said linkbeing pivotally secured to the end wall at the point 4'I.

The pin 43 projects through the end wall of the cabinet, and a controllever 4S is mounted thereon, the free end of said lever being providedwith a handle 49 to facilitate manipulation thereof. Spaced apart bumpermembers 5i! are provided on the cabinet end walls, and can be formed ofany desired resilient material, said bumpers serving as a stop to limitthe downward movement of the mangle.

When the raising mechanism is in position as shown in dotted lines inFig. 1 of the drawings, the lever mechanism is in position as indicatedin solid lines in Fig. 3, and the mangle is locked in the cabinet bymeans of the lug 5I which is provided on the end of the raising bar I 5engaging the block SI provided on the bar 35, and being held thereby,and when the control lever 48 is swung forwardly, the lever 35 willswing downwardly as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6, simultaneouslyshifting the latch 33 on the bar 38, and forcing the lower end of thebar 38 outwardly, so that the lug 5I is released. The springs 24 thenpull the free ends of the raising bars I3 and II upwardly; this travelbeing controlled by a braking action resulting from the angle ofinclination of the brake bars 26, the angle being determined by the bodyof the lever 35 engaging and sliding on the rounded portion 2 of thebrake bar leg.

When the travel is such that the brake eect equals the pull or lift ofthe springs 24 the device will stop; the lever 48 is then swung in thereverse direction, so that the brake bars 26 gradually swing to verticalposition. The springs 22 then force the mangle upwardly to position asshown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the speed of travel being determined bythe speed of travel of the control lever. Metal shoes 52 (Fig. 5) aresecured to the ends of the mangle base and engage the brake bars, sothat excessive friction is avoided and the operation is free and smooth.

The device must now be locked in its raised position, and this isaccomplished by swinging the control lever forwardly to position asshown in dotted lines in Fig. 3; this forces the end of the brake bar 26inwardly, so that the mangle base rests on the shoulder 29, and thedevice is now in locked position.

In order that the mangle operator may be seated close to the manglewhile at work, the front panel 53 of the cabinet is pivotally mounted topermit it to swing inwardly and as shown in dotted linesin Fig. 3 of thedrawings, so that the operators knees may be accommodated, this pivotalmounting of the panel being illustrated in Figs. 9, l2, and 13 of thedrawings, the upper end of said panel being rolled to form a sleeve 54in which one end of a pin 55 is mounted, the opposite end of said pin 55being mounted in a bearing 56 suitably secured to the upper end of thelegs i3. The ends of the sleeve 54 are slotted as at 5l, and ahook-shaped leg 58 is formed integral with the pin 55, and when in acertain predetermined position is adapted to be accommodated in theslots 51, the hook end 59 of the leg 58 being accommodated in a suitablepocket (not shown) provided in the frame of the side panel.

A resilient leg member 60 is riveted or otherwise secured to the edge ofthe panel 53, and when the mechanism is in locked position this panel 53can be swung inwardly so that the leg 35 engages and is locked in thejaw 4I provided on the bar 40, being held in said position until thecontrol lever is swung rearwardly to unlock the mangle, when the raisedsection 4S of the link 45 forces the leg 60 inwardly and out ofengagement with the jaw 4I, it permits the panel 53 to swing down tonormal position, and I wish to direct particular attention to the factthat this panel cannot be locked in raised position until the mangle islocked, as the raised section 46 of the bar 45 will prevent engagement,and the leg 60 will merely slide over the jaw 4I, and the operator thusis aware that the mangle is not locked in its raised position, becausethe panel will not remain up.

The panel can be readily removed from the cabinet if desired; it ismerely necessary to release the hooks 59 as indicated by the dottedlines in Fig. 12. The legs 58 are then swung upwardly and inwardly intothe slots 5l, and the pins 55 will then be clear of the bearings 55, sothat the panel can be easily removed.

When it is desired to lower the mangle in the cabinet, the control lever48 is swung rearwardly so that the upper end of the brake bar 26 movesoutwardly, and the mangle base is then disengaged and can be manuallyforced downwardly into the cabinet until the lug 5I engages 'the block3i of Lthe latch lever, .thereby locking vfthe .mangle 'in .its loweredposition.

A top lid or panel 6| is hingedly connected to the cabinet'by .meansofthe hinges 62, and when the mangle is lowered, this ,panel is .swung toclosed position, and the cabinet can then be used as a table.

From the foregoing description it will be obvious that the inventorhasperfected a very simple, practical, and convenient drop cabinet andmechanism for mangles and similar devices.

What is claimed is:

1. A drop cabinet of the class described comprising a frame, opposedlifting bars having one end pivotally connected to said frame, said barsbeing foldable with relation to each other, resilient means connectingthe free ends of the bars and tending to draw said free ends towardseach other, means for locking said bars in folded position, andadditional resilient means connected to the lifting bars and to saidcabinet respectively for exerting an upward and inward pull on the freeends of the bars.

2. A drop cabinet of the class decribed comprising a frame, opposedlifting bars having one end pivotally connected to said frame, said barseing foldable with relation to each other, resilient means connectingthe free ends of said bars, means on the end of the cabinet for lockingthe bars in folded position, manually controlled mechanism connected tosaid locking means for releasing said bars, and controlling the upwardtravel of the lifting bars in the cabinet.

3. A drop cabinet of the class described and including a frame, opposedlifting bars, one end of each bar being pivotally connected to the endwall of the frame, said bars being foldable with relation to each other,resilient means connecting the free ends of said bars, a sleevepivotally secured to one of said lifting bars and having slidableengagement with the opposite bar, and means for locking said liftingbars in folded position.

4. A drop cabinet of the class described and including a hinged sidepanel, opposed lifting bars, one end of each bar being pivotallyconnected to the end wall of said cabinet, said bars being foldable withrelation to each other, a base mounted on the free ends of said bars,resilient means connecting the free ends, means for locking said bars inraised position, latching means for rigidly securing said bars in foldedposition, and a jaw on the cabinet for engaging said side panel to holdit in raised position when the locking bars are locked in raisedposition.

5. A drop cabinet of the class described and provided with a hingedcover, a lifting bar pivotally secured to each end wall of the cabinetand foldable with relation to each other, a base member mounted on thefree ends of the bars, resilient means connecting the free upper ends ofsaid bars and tending to draw them towards each other to raise said basemember, vertically disposedbrake bars mounted on the end walls of thecabinet, and means for actuating said bars to force them into engagementwith the base member to form a brake for regulating the upward travel ofsaid base member.

6. A drop cabinet o-f the character described and including a hingedside panel, `a lifting bar pivotally connected to each end of thecabinet, said bars being disposed in opposed relation and being foldablewith relation to each other, a transversely disposed bar on the free endof iis ,each .lifting bar, rollers journaled thereon, :resilient -meansconnecting the upper ends `of said lifting -bars and .tending to .drawthem towards each other, and additional resilient means connected to thetransversely disposed bars and to the cabinet wall for exerting anupward pull on the lifting bars.

'7. A drop cabinet of the class described and including a frame, alifting bar pivotally connected to each end wall of the frame, said barsbeing disposed in opposed relation and being foldable with relation toeach other, T-shaped brake bars on the end walls of the cabinet, a basemounted on said lifting bars and slidably engaging said brake bars,resilient means connected to the upper free ends of said lifting barsfo-r drawing them towards each other, means for locking the lifting barsin folded position, a control mechanism, and means connected to saidcontrol mechanism for releasing said lifting bars from their foldedlocked position.

8. A drop cabinet of the class described and including a frame, alifting bar pivotally connected to each end of the frame, said barsbeing foldable with relation to each other, a transversely disposed baron the free end of each lifting bar, spaced apart rollers on the ends ofsaid transversely disposed bars, T-shaped brake bars loosely mounted onthe end walls of the cabinet, a base mounted on said rollers andslidably engaging said brake bars, resilient means connecting the upperends of said lifting bars, and means for forcing the upper ends of saidbrake bars inwardly and `against the base to provide a braking action onsaid base as it is being raised.

9. A drop cabinet of the class described and including a frame, alifting bar pivotally connected to each end of the frame, said barsbeing foldable with relation to each other a base mounted on saidlifting bars, vertically disposed T-shaped brake bars mounted to rock onthe ends walls of the cabinet and engaging said base,

resilient means connecting the free ends of said lifting bars andtending toI lift and pull the free ends of the lifting bars towards eachother, a base mounted on said lifting bars, means for locking saidlifting bars in folded position, a releasing latch, and means fortilting said brake bars to form a brake to regulate the speed of travelof the base as it is being raised.

10. A drop cabinet of the class described and including a frame, opposedlifting bars pivotally mounted therein and foldable with relation toeach other, vertically disposed adjustable brake bars mounted on the endwalls of the cabinet and .adapted to rock thereon, a base mounted onsaid lifting bars and engaging said brake bars, resilient meansconnecting the upper ends of said lifting bars, means for locking saidbars in folded position, means for releasing said bars, a control lever,and means for simultaneously actuating said releasing means and brakebars for controlling the upward travel of the base in the cabinet.

11. A drop cabinet of the class described and including a frame, stopson said frame, lifting bars pivotally mounted in the cabinet andfoldable with relation to each other, vertically disposed adjustablebrake bars mounted on the end walls of the cabinet, each brake bar beingprovided with a shoulder on the upper end thereof, a base member mountedon said lifting bars and engaging said brake bars, resilient meansconnecting the upper ends of said lifting bars and tending to pull themtowards each other, means for locking said lifting bars in foldedposition, means for releasing said bars, a control lever, linkagemounted on the cabinet and connected to the control lever forsimultaneously releasing said locking bars and adjusting said brake barsto form a brake, said lever when in a certain prethe cabinet.

BERTHA MOSSNER,

Administratrx of the Estate of Peter C. M ossner, 5

Deceased.

